/ 

flftattie  M.  gurgesg. 

[From  Missionary  Tidings,  May,  1899.1 

“I  was  born  in  Buchanan  county,  Mo.,  Feb¬ 
ruary  6,  1862.  I  received  my  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  spent  all 
my  life,  up  to  my  coming  to  India,  in  St.  Joseph 
and  near  there  on  a  farm.  My  childhood  and 
young  womanhood  were  quite  uneventful.  I 
was  baptized  when  I  was  somewhat  more  than 
thirteen  years  old.  As  a  child  1  was  seriously 
inclined  and  had  my  first  really  deep  religious 
experience  when  I  was  eleven  years  old.  I 
used  to  think  a  great  deal  about  engaging  in 
philanthroijic  work,  used  to  have  my  schemes 
about  Christian  socialism,  but  not  by  that 
name,  long  before  I  thought  of  becoming  a 
missionary.  I  must  have  been  twenty-three 
years  old  when  the  though  t  of  becoming  a  mis¬ 
sionary  first  came  into  my  mind.  A  letter 
from  Mrs.  Garst,  of  Japan,  was  a  decided  step 
forward  for  me  in  the  development  of  this 
thought.  But  most  is  due  to  the  Christian 
Evangelist.  At  that  time  we  were  living  on  the 
farm.  Attendance  at  church  was  very  irregu¬ 
lar,  but  I  had  the  Book  of  books  and  the  Evan¬ 
gelist.  In  1888  we  moved  into  the  city.  I  at 
once  became  identified  with  the  C.  W.  B.  M. 
and  began  to  read  all  the  missionary  literature 
which  I  could  find.  The  desire  ‘to  go’  grew, 


but  I  found  few  sympathizers.  After  Miss  Sue 
Robinson’s  death  I  felt  that  I  could  stay  at 
home  no  longer.  While  I  had  said  a  great  deal 
about  becoming  a  missionary,  my  parents  had 
not  allowed  themselves  to  think  such  a  thing 
possible.  In  1892  I  told  them  of  my  desire 
and,  upon  the  advice  of  a  dear  friend,  gave 
them  a  year  in  which  to  become  reconciled  to 
the  thought.  That  year  I  attended  our  Na¬ 
tional  Convention  at  Nashville.  There  I  met 
many  of  our  State  and  National  workers.  When 
I  returned  home  I  sent  my  application  to  the 
C.  W.  B.  M.  and  was  accepted.  August  8,  1893, 
I  left  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  September  9  sailed 
from  New  York.  We  landed  in  Bombay  Novem¬ 
ber  24, 1893.  In  February,  1894,  we  went  to  Bina. 
I  lived  there  two  years  and  three  months.  Then 
I  was  asked  to  go  to  Bilaspur  and  take  charge 
of  the  Orphanage  during  Miss  Kingsbury’s  ab¬ 
sence.  I  had  this  work  for  one  year  and  eight 
months.  Since  then  I  have  been  engaged  in 
school  work.  This  work  is  Mrs.  Lohr’s  and  I 
only  have  charge  of  it  during  her  absence. 
Substitute  work  is  hard  work.  It  keeps  one 
from  becoming  ‘  puffed  up.’  But  I  rejoice  that 
I  have  been  able  to  do  this  most  necessary 
work  and  thus  relieve  my  fellow-workers,  who 
have  so  well  earned  a  rest.  And  now  I  must 
close  this  plain  and  uneventful  story.  I  have 
been  very  happy  in  India.  God  has  been  very 
merciful  to  me.  I  often  think  of  the  verse, 
‘  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  His 
benefits  toward  me?’  ” — From  a  letter  written 
to  Mrs.  L.  G.  Bantz,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Published  by  the  Christian  Woman’s  Board  of  Mis¬ 
sions,  152  E.  Market  St.,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  March,  1900. 
One  cent  each  ;  five  cents  per  dozen. 


